


And a Sad Ending

by BoWritesStuff



Series: Mermaid! AU [3]
Category: Game Grumps, Ninja Sex Party - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 08:41:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15703737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoWritesStuff/pseuds/BoWritesStuff





	And a Sad Ending

Lately, Brian has been distant. Dan still swims alongside his ship, and he still sometimes climbs on deck to talk to the crew, but every time he does Brian slinks away. Today, a sunny day with crystal clear skies, Dan decides to try again. The currents help him to speed up, and he swims along the side of the ship, and he reaches out to the smooth wood. Lifting himself out of the water is the most difficult part, with the water tugging him back in and the strange heaviness that comes with the air. 

“Ay, the mermaid is here!” A voice shouts from above, and soon a small crowd forms on the ship’s deck. Dan can hear the men cheering him on as he climbs up the side of the ship, and hands reach out to him. They pull him up, and he tumbles onto the ship’s deck. Familiar faces and smiles greet him. 

“Do you do nothing but polish your scales? Every time I see you, you look more and more stunning.” A voice teases. It’s the voice of the second in command, a pirate from Asia who has been living his life on the sea since he was a boy. He names himself after the storm that he was born in. Tsunami. 

“Don’t let Captain Treason catch you flirting with the mermaid, he’ll throw you overboard.” One of the lookouts bumps shoulders with Tsunami. The lookout, Puffin, is a strange man. Constantly making the men laugh, but some days he’ll sit in his lookout, staring at nothing. It’s so strange that Dan can finally name these men, know them personally. These men weren’t too different from the mermaids that he has lived with his whole life. 

“Speaking of Treason, where is he?” Dan asks. The circle of pirates around him all make faces. Most of them are concerned, but there are a few that look angry, even betrayed. 

Whirlpool, one of the younger and more sensitive pirates speaks up. 

“He’s been acting strange lately. Confused.” Whirlpool says, flinching when everyone turns to look at them. But no one argues, and no one seems angry at them for saying it. It’s just what they were all thinking. 

“I think it’s finances.” Nessie says. All of the crew seems to understand that something was wrong with their captain. Dan frowns. 

“Can I get some sea sponges?” he asks. Tsunami and Puffin immediately head to the kitchen, where they’ve started to keep sea sponges soaked in salt water so Dan can keep his skin from drying out while he stays on the ship. Even though the water is lukewarm, it’s refreshing and calming. 

“Finances?” Dan repeats. Everyone looks uncomfortable all of a sudden, and no one seems to want to look at Dan all of a sudden. Dan looks around the circle of men, and all of them look away. 

“We haven’t been catching anything.” Hydra says. He’s covered in scars from years of catching mermaids, and he’s one of the few that still stay distant from Dan. But even he sees that Dan is a good thing. “Treason is conflicted.” 

“Catching mermaids when you’re friends with one seems…” Whirlpool trails off. 

“Wrong.” 

“Bad.” 

“Hypocritical.” Whirlpool finishes. The men glance at their youngest pirate, one of the very few who still holds onto his emotions. He’s always been the most outspoken and well spoken when it came to emotions. Many of them didn’t know what that word meant, but there was something in Whirlpool’s voice that made it sound… twisted. 

“Well… Can’t you…” Dan tries to think of something. He can’t tell them to keep on catching mermaids. What if one day they catch someone that he knows? His family? Someone important, like a chief or a ruler? But he can’t tell them to stop. They have families to provide for. This life is dangerous and unpredictable. 

“What else can we do?” Whirlpool asks. “This ship is meant for hunting mermaids.” Everyone feels uneasy, something snapping in the air. 

“Can’t you… find some other way to make money?” Dan tries lamely. Whirlpool was right. Nothing made the money that mermaid hunting did. And there were so many husbands and wives and spouses who needed this money to survive. 

“You know there’s no way for all of us to survive without hunting mermaids.” Hydra whispers, echoing over the glassy sea. Dan looks to everyone. Whirlpool looks anxious, worried for Dan’s sake. 

“You should leave.” they say, glancing at everyone else. All these pirates are here to provide for their families. And they would do anything to make sure they do just that. Dan pauses, and then pulls himself overboard, back into the ocean. 

-

Dan is trying to stay awake for just a few more minutes. The ship is still moving at nearly top speed, and Dan’s muscles were aching. He looks up, and he can see the black inkness of the night sky above the waves. What was going on? What was happening? Why were they still moving so quickly?

A net sends shockwaves through the water, and Dan is momentarily shocked. The net came from Brian’s ship, but why? Why did they want him on deck? He climbs into the net, arranging it around him so he doesn’t fall. They lift him up, up, and up. 

And the first face he sees is Brian’s. His eyes are teary and his teeth are gritting together, determined not to let those tears fall in front of his lover. Dan stares up at Brian. The crew is dead quiet, and the men that Dan talked to just a few hours ago are sniffling. Whirlpool is staring at Dan with the saddest, softest eyes that he has ever seen. Whirlpool and Puffin help him on deck, and even cheerful Puffin isn’t saying anything. He’s zoned out, his eyes looking right through Dan. 

“You are dismissed. All of you.” Treason’s voice is soft and gentle. All of his crew listens, and goes below deck, where they sleep. It’s just them now, the soft ocean breeze, the night sky speckled with stars, and this silence that refuses to break. 

“I always loved the night sky.” Dan whispers. “It looks like the ocean trenches I used to try to explore when I was young.” Brian doesn’t say anything, but he nods. “With my friends. We used to dive down until we could hardly see our hands in front of our faces. And we were so scared. But all we had to do is swim up.” Dan says with a sad smile. 

“I’m sure that I’ve worried you.” Brian mutters, soft enough that the small ocean waves nearly drowned them. 

“More than any ocean trench.” 

“I’m sure you’ve heard of our… problem. We aren’t making any money. And my daughter… I’m all she has.” Brian starts. Dan listens carefully. Brian almost never speaks of his family. His daughter, who still lives on the land, and his missing wife. “If I don’t manage to make money very soon, it’s likely that my child could be… in serious trouble.” 

“Where are you going with this?” Dan asks. He already has the feeling that he knows what Brian is going to say. 

“Your scales could make enough money that I can retire and give my daughter a good life. A life that she deserves. And my crew could have enough money left over to find another way to make a living.” Brian’s voice is choked up and soft. 

“I see.” Dan feels numb. The cool night air seems to be freezing him up until there was nothing left to feel but Brian’s stinging words. “Sacrifice one for the sake of many, right?” Brian can’t answer, but he nods, tears falling from his face. 

“I’m sorry.” 

The silence falls around them again. Dan can leave right now. Climb overboard and swim away as quickly as he can. He can live, just move. 

“I’m proud of you. For being such a loving father. A good captain… The best lover I could have.” 

The crew can hear Brian’s sobbing through the night. None of them sleep. 

-

Brian is right. Dan is shocked at how high the prices go for his scales. Brian and his crew watch in horror as Dan is dragged onto the platform, and people start bidding. The numbers climb to ridiculous heights. People try to grab his tail. Many of them have never seen a live mermaid. Most of the time, the mermaid is dead when they start bidding, but this one is alive. Heartbroken, afraid for his life, and the most alive he’s ever been. 

The bidding stops when a man is a suit shouts a number. Everyone hushes. Dan is taken off the platform, and Brian explains that Dan has just been sold for all the pearls in the ocean. Dan half heartedly jokes about it. 

He’s taken away before he can even say goodbye. They strap him down on some sort of contraption in a room that smells like rot and death. 

And the scrape of metals is the closing crescendo in his siren’s song.

-

The crew leaves with the money. Brian gives his crew their share, and bites his lip. 

“Whirlpool.” he whispers. Whirlpool hardly even looks up from his hands when Treason says his name. “The ship is yours.” 

No one says anything. Whirlpool looks around the crew. None of the men look particularly surprised or angry. A few of them nod approvingly at Treason’s decision. Tsunami is one of them.

“But… sir. Tsunami is second in command.” Whirlpool manages to say after a long silence. 

“And he’s been in that position for so long that I’m sure that he’s gotten attached to it.” Soft laughter spread through the crew. “Whirlpool, this crew needs someone young. Someone with your education and brain. And your heart…” Brian looks into Whirlpool’s eyes for a moment. “Don’t do the things I did.” 

And with that, Brian turns and walks into the crowd, leaving Whirlpool in charge of a crew that doesn’t know where to begin. 

-

Brian is known by many names. Mermaid hunter. Treason. Captain. Lover. 

“Dad!” A young girl’s voice breaks through the fog that’s starting to surround his thoughts. Ashley immediately jumps into a hug, and Brian easily lifts her up. She’s grown while he was away. 

“Ashley, my sweet pearl. How old are you now?” 

“I’m eight!” she says with a smile. The innkeeper smiles behind them. Ashley is always talking about her father, the pirate. He rarely visits, but Ashley is always talking about his stories. Of stormy seas and dragons and monsters. 

“Well, my eight year old pearl, do you want to hear your birthday present?” Brian asks, setting Ashley down on one of the seats in the inn. 

“My birthday was five months ago.” 

“But do you want to hear your birthday present?” Brian asks with a smile. Ashley nods her head, her blond hair bouncing. “Dad is gonna stay here, from now on. With you.” 

“Really?” she squeals. “Really?” 

“Yes, really. Anything for you.” 

“But what about your stories? Of the sea?” she suddenly asks, her voice soft and worried. Brian smiles. 

“Do you want to hear a story?” 

“Yes!” 

“While I was on the sea, I met the most beautiful mermaid. And he had the voice of a siren…”


End file.
